The present invention generally relates to aircraft support hangers and, more particularly, relates to a support hanger installation tool for use with BACS 38P aircraft support hangers.
BACS 38P Support Hangers are often used in aircraft manufacturing to fasten or otherwise secure items to the interior of the aircraft. Specifically, the BACS 38P Support Hangers are typically two-piece plastic nut-plates that attach to the hat-section fuselage stringers. An example of a BACS 38P Support Hanger is illustrated in FIG. 1 in conjunction with the installation tool of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, these conventional support hangers each include a main body portion having a primary hook member extending from an end thereof. This primary hook member engages a portion of the fuselage stringer of the aircraft. The main body portion includes an internal slot having a molded-in locking feature. This molded-in locking feature cooperates with a slidable tape member to lockingly engage the support hanger and the fuselage stringer. The slidable tape member includes a complimentary hook member opposingly positioned relative to the primary hook member of the main body portion, which is used to engage the opposite side of the fuselage stringer to retain the hanger support. The support hanger still further includes a support feature, such as but not limited to a nut, a protrusion, and the like, for attaching the item to be secured.
To effect a locking engagement of the hanger support to the fuselage stringer, the molded-in locking feature of the main body portion engages a ribbed or serrated portion of the slidable tape member. The slidable tape member is pulled through the internal slot of the main body portion until the appropriate amount of retaining force is achieved.
These hanger supports are traditionally manually installed by a workman during the assembly of the aircraft or when retrofits or repairs are necessary. To this end, the slidable tape member is inserted into the internal slot of the main body portion such that the primary and complimentary hook members are generally in a mirrored position. The opposing end of the slidable tape member that is exiting from the internal slot (a.k.a. the tongue portion) is pulled relative to the main body portion to tighten the grip of the support hanger to the fuselage stringer. Typically, this is accomplished using a pair of pliers or freely with the hand. As can be appreciated, hand installation can be fatiguing and may lead to repetitive motion stress. Alternatively, installation using pliers often slips or may similarly lead to repetitive motion stress due to the constant gripping of the pliers.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide an installation tool capable of effectively and conveniently apply a gripping and tightening force to the tongue of a slidable tape member of a support hanger. Still further, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide an installation tool capable of overcoming the disadvantages of the prior art.
According to the principles of the present invention, an installation tool for installing a support hanger in an aircraft, where the support hanger includes a main hook body and a complimentary hook body slidably coupled with the main hook body, is provided. The support hanger includes a locking mechanism for selectively locking the main hook body and the complimentary hook body. The installation tool comprises a handle having a pivot surface that engages the main hook body of the support hanger. A wedge-shaped slot is formed in the handle and includes a pair of surfaces. An interfering member is then disposed within the wedge-shaped slot and is positionable in a first position where the interfering member engages at least one of the pair of surfaces and a free end of the complimentary hook body and a second position where the interfering member is disengaged from the pair of surfaces so as to permit simple and convenient tightening of the support hanger.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.